High-ranking diplomats and International Organizations can’t hide their concern about the events undergoing in the country. OSCE sees the signs of Leninism and according to Terry Benhem, an American expert on election issues, adviser of NGO ‘Open Democracy Committee’, the voters’ lists, fines and rule of law are under a question m

ark in Georgia.

Benhem declared at a press conference held in Tbilisi on Friday that he considered the cases of selective use of law a big problem. Co-Rapporteurs of Parliamentary Assembly of European Council Danish deputy Mikael Jensen and Latvian Boris Tsilevich express their anxiety over the spread information on the arrest of ‘Georgian Dream’ coalition banking accounts. According to the declaration published on a website of Parliamentary Assembly of European Council on 21 August, ‘biased attitude of Audit Office’ causes anxiety of PACE co-Rapporteurs. High-ranking American diplomats too express their concern over the existing situation in Georgia stressing the threat of repeating the Egyptian scenario here. We contacted through Skype Eugene Purso, an American diplomat, UN representative since ‘90ies of the previous century: -‘We are attentively observing the situation in Georgia and see that more than one assassination took place in the country that haven’t been investigated up-till now’.

Q. – Which assassinations do you have in mind?

A. – For instance, Sandro Girgvliani’s case on which the European Court issued a verdict indicating the Georgian Government to investigate the case anew but nothing has been done as of yet. Quite recently Georgian emigrants notified me about a horrible event. About one month ago the leader of ‘National Movement’ of one of the provinces, 25-year-old boy mercilessly beat Alexandre Tatishvili, a well-known 50-year-old doctor only because the latter was ‘Georgian Dream’ supporter. The ‘young politician’ smashed his head on the railway. The doctor died in a hospital several days later.

Q. – Why have you decided to get involved in another country’s political processes?

A. – When the elections by and by resemble a battlefield we have no right to watch from a distance when it comes to confrontation. When the situation is heading to bloodshed it’s our obligation to get involved and save the country from disaster. The situation in Egypt turned into bloodshed only because the world couldn’t timely react on the existing problems. I deem myself obliged to do my best in order Egypt isn’t repeated in Georgia; that Georgia avoids bloodshed. For this reason I joined the group of supporters of Georgia.

Q. – Do you think it’s possible that Egyptian scenario is repeated in Georgia?

A. – I’ve already received a letter in which Georgian people ask American people for help. The letter is signed by several thousand Georgian emigrants living in America. But the letter wasn’t even needed to see that Georgian Government is doing everything to start confrontation and bloodshed.

When all the means for peaceful resolution of the issue are exhausted bloodshed and escalation start. Massacre in Syria and Egypt didn’t start overnight. The mine that exploded in those countries wasn’t composed in one day. I don’t know what happens in Georgia tomorrow but I know that unless we help Syria and Egypt will undoubtedly be repeated.

Georgia doesn’t resemble at all the country that is involved in pre-election campaign; I have an impression that the country is a battlefield and the Government acts as if it’s getting ready not for elections but for war with people. When the people of one country ask the Government of another country for help it means that all the resources and civilized means for reaching accords with the authorities are exhausted. It means that the Government doesn’t listen to the people; its opinion is of no interest for them. When I see that despite the pressure on part of the authorities hundreds of thousand of people attend the opposition rally everything is clear for me and many Americans.

Q. – Maybe you specify why do you have such a pessimistic prognosis?

A. – I’ll answer with a question: Was a peaceful demonstration violently broken up by the authorities? Did people die on 26 May? This fact is cited in reports and speeches of authoritative International Organizations. The fact that Georgian people are devoid of rights, their property is also mentioned in International Organizations’ reports. I rely upon figures and statistics. Amazingly low percentage of verdict ‘not guilty’ is alarming. The fact that Georgia holds No 1 position according to the percentage of actions brought to Strasbourg Court tells volumes to me.

Eugene Purso – American diplomat, UNO representative in ‘90ies of the previous century.

In 1990-1995 – Chairman of UN Committee on decolonization issues; curator of Spain and Trinidad and Tobago; in 1994 chaired the committee on avoiding natural calamities; in March, 1995 chaired the UN program of social development; in 1990-1992 was representative of Alliance of minor islands; in 1991-1993 – chairman of Caricom Caucus organization; in 1993 – UN General Assembly Vice-President; in 1990-1995 – Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Grenada in UNO (Permanent Representative), Consultant of Gibraltar and Taiwan in UNO; currently – Representative of World Black People’s Rights Organization and IFG (International Friends of Georgia) founder; also, Professor of Columbia University.

When the results of the investigation were published, the people, politicians and experts were discussing whether the investigation was carried out fairly. Besides, if the government’s version is correct, eavesdropping devices were installed at Rustavi 2 TV with the knowledge of the management. Law enforcers must take this case to an end. Expert Alexander Tvalchrelidze is sure that the recording devices were not installed under the current authorities:

Turkish Ambassador talked with Georgian Journal about visit of Turkish President

Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey, paid his second official visit to Georgia. On the first day of the visit, the trilateral summit among Georgian, Turkish and Azeri Presidents took place. Georgian Journal seized the opportunity and recorded the interview right after the three-day visit of the Turkish President, with the Ambassador of Turkey to Georgia, H.E. Mr. Levent Gümrükçü.

Poland, together with the Czech Republic and Hungary, celebrates its 15th anniversary of joining NATO. With the V4 and Baltic States, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta it celebrates its 10th anniversary of EU accession. Georgian Journal spoke with the Ambassador of Poland to Georgia, Mr. Andrzej Cieszkowski, about the EU, his challenges as a diplomat while living abroad for the second time and his first ambassadorial mission as well as about personal interests. Stay with us.

What’s going on in Ukraine, what is Crimea’s destiny and how will the Ukrainian events influence Georgia? We discussed these questions with Eugene Kogan, Austrian researcher and a Realpolitik expert who is currently in Georgia and cooperates with Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense.

Below Ramaz Sakvarelidze, a political expert, answers Georgian Journal’s questions on the current situation of Georgia, the way of integration into Europe and signing of the Association Agreement. At the same time, we are concerned about the events in Ukraine, the political expert assesses risks that Georgia may face on its way into Europe while avoiding pressure and danger from Russia.

We hope Bidzina Ivanishvili will stay neutral to the end and in case of reasoned criticism of authorities he will side with civil society. By the way, Ivanishvili kept one more promise and, on leaving, nominated Davit Narmania as the candidate for the Tbilisi Mayor’s post. We began the interview with expert Kakhi Kakhishvili with this issue.

Last week Irakli Gharibashvili, candidate for the PM post, first named Otar Partskhaladze as the substitute for Chief Prosecutor, and then Alexander Chikaidze as the candidate for the post of Interior Minister. Why did the Chief Prosecutor leave his post? What do the cadre changes mean for us? Expert Kakha Kakhishvili shares his opinion:

It is always difficult to predict what will happen in the future. The easiest thing is to wait to make things clear. All we know at the present time is that we have a new president Giorgi Margvelashvili from the ruling party. Let's see what will change. However, there are many expectations and hopes for the better in the society that had a total feeling of injustice. Georgian Journal talked to Mrs. Elita Gavele, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to Georgia and Armenia.

Last week traditionally proved to be politically tense in Georgia. We witnessed Bidzina Ivanishvili’s “talk show” - this time featuring representatives of TV channels. In another development, MIA found an identity of the Jihad Video fabricator. Finally, the general assembly of the National Movement Party closed the week. Our interview with expert Soso Tsiskarishvili started with this event staged by the Nationals.

In a live interview from New-York, President Mikheil Saakashvili said the following: “In the last weeks and months we lost more agricultural lands than in Kurta and Tamarasheni villages combined.”Mikheil Saakashvili was the President during the August 2008 war too. So, he is supposed to be the most knowledgeable of all that during those tragic days Georgia was ripped of not just Tamarasheni and Kurta arable lands but around 20% of the country’s area! This loss should have been more than enough for any decent, homeland loving leader of the country to recognize the strategic mistakes he committed before and during the war, and resign.

One year after the change in the ruling power, political pressure is rising in the country again. There are a plenty of reasons – promises are being fulfilled at a low tempo or not at all. In the given situation, the decision by PM Bidzina Ivanishvili to leave politics feeds into the public fear of future. We spoke with expert Mamuka Areshidze about this and other interesting topics:

Eugene Kogen: I don’t see Georgia as a EU member for another 25 years to come…

”Nabucco was a victim of clash of interests in Brussels” – says South Caucasus security expert Eugene Kogen. In an exclusive interview, he talked about the demise of much-talked project of Nabucco pipeline and his own, skeptical view of Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future.

Innovation Research and Development Council was created at Georgian parliament to base national economy on innovations in pursuance with the best world experience. The Council will peruse each innovation proposal and scientific work so as to use the country’s intellectual potential take its nich among developed economies.

Umpteenth violation of International Agreement on the part of the Kremlin

The August war in 2008 left indelible trace in the minds of many people world over thanks to a number of video and photo materials depicting Russians grabbing and taking away weaponry and military machinery of Georgian Army but this Blitzkrieg war had another episode, which did not take up the headlines. It should have caused an international scandal for sure. Now it’s late.ne of the Georgian Army units which retreated from its Tskhinvali outskirts position in August 2008, brought 16 Strela-2 - man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system – to Tbilisi. This weapon was abandoned by Russian instructors and Ossetian separatists fighting Georgian troops.

After several-year interval Georgian-Russian dialog has ensued. What does Georgia expect from this dialog with 88% of its population, supporting relations with Russia? Answer to this question is intertwined with the reasons that conditioned increase of the supporters of the dialog with Russia while Russia as an image of enemy, is considered as a stigma for the last 20 years and not only desire of relations but even mentioning it in a slightly positive context, was almost equivalent of expulsion from the society.

There is a smell of new provocation in the air in Georgia that is called ‘religious confrontation’. Our compatriot Christians and Muslims declare that instigators are trying to aggravate the situation. This way or that way the authorities didn’t have adequate and timely reaction; we may get a result that even the instigators of this escalation didn’t want or expect. The expert Kote Zhgenti hopes that the situation won’t aggravate. According to him the authors of this artificial process don’t consider that interests of the country may be sacrificed to all this.

Everybody and everything in Georgia are in possession of pre-election fever. The authorities being under time pressure because of Ivanishvili’s unexpected appearance in politics can’t cope with issuing fines or other sanctions. It seems they hope in Saakashvili’s team that victors are not judged… We are talking about the peripety in Georgian politics with political scientist Mamuka Areshidze.

Against the background of recent appointment/sacking process conducted by the authorities, UN General Assembly’s resolution on Georgia was left beyond public attention. With this issue we began our interview with Mamuka Areshidze, an expert of Caucasian issues:

Appointment of currently former Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili to the post of Prime-Minister of Georgia overshadowed nearly all other recent political events. Is it promotion of Vano Merabishvili or downgrading of his power? We put this question on the top of issues discussed in our interview with political expert Soso Tsiskarishvili.

We began our interview with expert Ramaz Sakvarelidze with recent hullabaloo about National Exam Center. We’ll remind you that Dimitri Shashkin, Minister of Education of Georgia sacked Maia Miminoshvili, head of National Center.

After MP Jondi Bagaturia, from the Parliamentary rostrum put under doubt the correctness of recognition of Circassian genocide and spoke about the genocide of Armenians, Azeri Suleimanov, a majority MP from Marneuli called Jondi Bagaturia an Armenian and ‘Bagaturian’ and threw a Vaseline tube at him. We are discussing last week’s important events with political scientist Khatuna Lagazidze.